Tuesday, November 13, 2007

NOVEMBER 13, 2007

DANCING WITH THE STARS
It was a pressure cooker last night for the remaining five couples on Dancing With the Stars as next week begins the semi-finals competition. The line between mediocrity and perfection became more defined as the performances progressed through the evening. Marie Osmond returned to the dance floor after losing her father last week, and while she appeared as bubbly as ever during the interviews, her combined rumba and jive score reflected performances that lacked definition and possibly rehearsal time. Still, supportive and teary-eyed brother Donnie was present to represent the Osmond clan. Jennie Garth's emotional roller coaster continued as fitness guru Richard Simmons showed up to rehearsal to lift her confidence and bring the 90210 star to infomercial-sized tears. It must have worked since despite the judge's critique and vanilla scores for her jive and fox trot, Jennie appeared untypically unscathed.

It was Helio Castroneves and partner Julianne Hough who stole the checkered flag though, scoring the only perfect 30 for the evening with their quick step -- a Julianne specialty -- which also placed them in first place overall combined with their paso doble score of 27.

Gloria Estefan appears on Dancing With the Stars: The Results tonight after cancelling a performance earlier in the season for a family emergency. And host Tom Bergeron -- apparently completely unaffected by the writer's strike -- announced that "This season's love birds" (Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas) will return next week for a sneak peek of what audiences can expect on the DWTS tour. Sabrina and Mark have confirmed that they are dating -- a first for Dancing With the Stars.

Dancing With The Stars Leaderboard
Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough- 57
Mel B and Maksim Chmerkovsky- 56
Cameron Mathison and Edyta Sliwinska- 51
Jennie Garth and Derek Hough- 50
Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts- 49 (our elimination prediction)

WHAT'S SHE DOING NEXT?
Here's the info for the recently announced CELINE DION NEW WORLD TOUR...

Nov 29, 2008
Honda Center, Anaheim, USA

Dec 2, 2008
STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, USA

WHAT IS THE KARMA ON THIS ONE?
If you're feeling like playing hooky, but nervous about getting caught-- the Excused Absence Network has got your back.For about $25, students and employees can buy excuse notes that appear to come from doctors or hospitals. Other options include a fake jury summons or an authentic-looking funeral service program complete with comforting poems and a list of pallbearers.

Some question whether the products are legal or ethical — or even work — but the company's owners say they're just helping people do something they would have done anyway.According to John Liddell, co-founder: "Millions of Americans work dead-end jobs. People are going to lie anyway. How many people go visit their doctors every day when they're not sick because they just need a note?"

The company's customers receive templates so they can print the notes after typing the name and address of a local doctor or emergency room. Those who choose jury duty as an excuse to miss work enter their county courthouse information on the form.

Excused Absence Network: http://www.myexcusedabsence.com